What's new

Queen & Slim (2019)

Jake Lipson

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2002
Messages
24,501
Real Name
Jake Lipson
Title: Queen & Slim

Genre: Drama, Romance

Director: Melina Matsoukas

Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Chloë Sevigny, Bokeem Woodbine, Flea, Indya Moore, Sturgill Simpson, Jahi Di'Allo Winston, Benito Martinez, Melanie Halfkenny, Gralen Bryant Banks, Dickson Obahor, Bryant Tardy, Thom Gossom Jr., Brian Thornton, Joseph Poliquin, Karen Kaia Livers, Bertrand E. Boyd II, Gregory Keith Granger, Lucky Johnson, Reynolds Washam, Andre De'Sean Shanks, Robert Walker Branchaud, Colby Boothman-Shepard, Andy Dylan, Regina Swanson, Soledad O'Brien, Gayle King

Release: 2019-11-27

Runtime: 131

Plot: An exploration of America’s social and political climate through the lens of a genre-defying love story. The film centers on a black man and black woman who go on a first date that goes awry after the two are pulled over by a police officer at a traffic stop. They kill the police officer in self-defense and rather than turn themselves in, they go on the run.

 

Jake Lipson

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2002
Messages
24,501
Real Name
Jake Lipson
Has no one else seen around here seen this yet? I searched and was surprised not to find an existing thread for this movie. I saw it last week and was blown away.

A couple, who are both black, are driving back from a blind date, which didn't even go particularly well, when they are pulled over by a possibly racist white police officer. When this incident escalates far beyond anyone's intention, the couple go on the run to avoid spending the rest of their lives in prison.

This is an absolute firecracker of a movie from beginning to end. I don't know if it's buzzy enough to be considered for major awards because, aside from Daniel Kaylula of Get Out, everyone involved in it is an unknown. The writer and director are both making their feature debuts with it. But it's absolutely one of the most gripping pieces of cinema I've seen in quite some time, and on merit I think it deserves serious awards consideration which I hope it gets.

It grabs you and doesn't let go. It's propulsive, exciting and utterly urgent in its frank discussion of the times in which we are living and the conditions of our racial divide and the justice system. But it never feels like it's lecturing, even though it's saying an awful lot. The skill, sensitivity and talent on display here, especially from first-time filmmakers, is astonishing.

The statement they are making with the film will rattle you. It is deeply, deeply affecting and it deserves to be seen by the widest possible audience and to be considered among the year's very best cinematic achievements. So I definitely recommend that anybody who is interested see this one as soon as possible. I knew what the setup of the movie was with the cop pulling them over, but I wasn't sure where they were going to go with it after that, and I was surprised, excited and deeply moved by the resulting film. It's one of the biggest surprises of the year for me and I can't overstate how much I loved it.

One other note: If you can go in without having seen the trailer, I would suggest doing it that way, because the trailer gives a lot away, even beyond the inciting incident. I looked it up after I got home and I was glad I had only seen it a couple of times, as I was able to forget most of it apart from the inciting incident and go in relatively unspoiled. But it's definitely got footage in it that I wouldn't want to know was coming if I could help it.
 

steve jaros

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 30, 1997
Messages
971
Location
Baton Rouge, LA
Real Name
Steve
My wife and I saw it Thursday. On one hand, the acting was good and some of the situations were thought-provoking. On the other, some of the situations seemed contrived, and the racial dividing lines were too obviously drawn. Also on the negative side, the movie drags a bit, it has a languid pace that gets somnolent at times and IMO could have been cut by a good 20 minutes.

This movie of course is the latest in a long line of "buddies on the run" films that includes Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Bonnie and Clyde, and Thelma & Louise, among others. IMO, it is just not in that class of films.

Overall, mixed feelings. A "C+" kind of movie in my book.
 
Last edited:
Movie information in first post provided by The Movie Database

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,814
Messages
5,123,769
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top